Thanks a million!

Susan McCormack

For the second straight year, the Sebos will have enough room to have

their whole family over for Thanksgiving. And, for the first time,

they’ll be able to relax and really appreciate how much they have to be

thankful for.

Last year, the Sebos celebrated the holiday within two weeks of moving

into their home on Del Mar Avenue -- a home they built with their own

hands during a Habitat for Humanity weeklong “blitz build.”

“It was a blessing, but we didn’t have much time to let things settle

in,” Linda Sebo said. “I was in a daze that entire week. When it finally

settled in, [the holiday] was over.”

Over the course of the year, the Sebos’ house has not changed much. The

same decorative flag that Habitat volunteers placed on the house last

fall is faded and torn, but a swing now hangs from a tree in the large

frontyard. The family expects to close escrow next week.

The biggest changes for the Sebos have been inside the home. The four

children -- Ashley, 6 1/2; Ryan, 5; Daniel, 3; and Caytlin, 15 months --

will soon have a new brother.

Their father, Michael, has found a new job as a hardware manager at an

Internet service company after his company let him go just weeks before

his family moved in the house.

And, overall, there has been a sense of peace and calm for the first time

in a long time.

“It feels like we’ve been here awhile. Everything feels natural,” Michael

said. “Every so often I come out here at night and catch myself thinking,

‘wow.”’

Before their four-bedroom home was built, the family lived in a

three-bedroom apartment in Fullerton. Linda had never grown up in her own

home, and she said she felt a permanent place would provide her children

with “a better life.”

When their landlord proposed raising their rent to $1,100 each month, the

family knew they had to do something.

Michael said he and Linda had worked to pay off debt during the first few

years of marriage, and they were torn about the idea of buying a home

until a friend introduced them to Habitat for Humanity.

“It was a Catch-22,” Michael said. “We were so against getting into debt,

but you have to get into debt to buy a house.”

The Sebos were the 72nd family to move into a Habitat-built home in

Orange County, and the first in Costa Mesa. They qualified for the house

after demonstrating a good credit history and the ability to earn enough

to repay a mortgage. They also were required to complete 600 hours of

working on their own home and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat is working on another home in Costa Mesa on Wallace Avenue, which

the Sebos have helped build.

“Any time we have a chance to get over there, we do,” Michael said. “It’s

a really great program.”

While Michael goes to work each day, Linda home-schools her children. She

gives them plenty of time to have “recess” on their expansive lawn, which

contains a playhouse and is enclosed by a white picket fence. She said

the space has given her and her children healthier attitudes because

their old apartment didn’t get much natural light and neighbors often

complained of noise when the children played.

“It really had an effect on me -- made me kind of depressed,” Linda said.

“It’s such a joy to be able to come out and the kids ... have their own

space. This kind of play enables them to be creative.”

Linda’s younger sister, Rocio, often visits and helps her care for the

kids. She and three brothers and sisters will join them this Thanksgiving

to feast on a 23-pound turkey and enough mashed potatoes to fill a turkey

pan.

“We have so much here,” said Linda, in true Thanksgiving spirit.